For those who believe that global weather doesn’t really affect them, here’s a reality check. I got to drive the new Porsche Boxster at its Austria launch, because of snow in the Himalayas. Which trapped Bijoy long enough for him to offer me the drive. Heh, heh, Shumi to the rescue.
However, by the time I got to absolutely gorgeous, late autumn, orangey-brown Austria, the thought of piloting a full-blooded, mid-engined 280 bhp Boxster S on foreign streets was pretty daunting. Hell, it wasn’t till the second day that the beauty of the scenery actually sunk in!
Within a couple of hours of parking my luggage at the luxurious, old and character-loaded Schloss Seefels Hotel near Klagenfurt, I had my first go in the newest baby Porsche. I snagged the keys to a nicely understated slate grey Boxster S and was handed a road book with directions for a 60 km loop. The Porsche chap beamed at me with a confidence that I just couldn’t echo. After all, a manual shift Boxster S, all 3179cc of it, in my hands, in a left hand drive country, on public roads, without chaperone or cellphone was almost too much.
Boxster S to the rescue, this time round. The engine fired almost before I turned the key and as I rolled out of the parking lot, the car’s supremely slick and sporty shift was instantly noticeable. On that day, and the longer drive the next day, I’d never miss a shift, never select the wrong gear and never, ever spare a thought to the stick, which was on my right – all wrong. The Porsche team have been working on critical areas that include the reduction of shift travel, dropping shifting time, lightening the engine overall, and more performance. By the time I rolled out, I was ready to believe that nothing would shift as slickly as this Porsche.
Out on the highway, keeping the throttle pinned to even the halfway mark is pretty dangerous. The big boxer in the back is like a faithful Bull Mastiff puppy. It is obedient, playful and very, very powerful. Not to mention torquey. The new intake system employs a dual distribution on the intake, which opens both chambers only at full chat. Result? More torque right off the bottom, and a handy 32 kgm torque plateau from 4700 to
6000 rpm. And while the old Boxster S made (just) 260 bhp, the new one is good for 280. The chaps also cut down the drag coeff to just 0.29 and added a plastic flat underbody for better aero-efficiency. Three snicks of the gearshift interrupting a glorious, soft roar behind your ear will propel the little Porsche to well past the speed limit. And Italy this isn’t, where the Carabinieri wave you by with happy, indulgent grins.
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